General
Tradies train up for emergency surgery on Australia’s Antarctic team
Picture this: You’re seriously injured at one of Australia’s Antarctic research stations, but the station doctor’s out of commission. You’re 2,000 kilometres from the nearest hospital. Who would you pick to perform surgery on you: the station’s chef, carpenter or boilermaker?
Key points:
- The Australian Antarctic Division trains expeditioners with no medical background to become lay surgical assistants
- Polar medicine experts and surgeons guide them via video conferencing if they have to perform surgery in Antarctica
- In the past, Lay Surgical Assistants have performed hand surgery and emergency dental work
It may sound like far-fetched scenario, but it’s one the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is prepared for.
Every year, eight…
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